Build a website

[ViaRia01]

Can anyone share with me, in simple terms, how to set up a website?

I gather that I first need to buy the domain name, eg from GoDaddy. But… then what?

Does GoDaddy have a platform to enable a regular Joe like me to create and edit the webpages easily?

if not, is there another provider I need for this purpose? Thank you

Oh also wanted to add… I have Canva Pro and I gather I can use that to build a website. But I assume that’s just to design the pages… how to turn that into a live website? I don’t understand how to get it all up and running with my chosen domain name on the web??

It’s a while since I built a website so hopefully someone will be along to guide you a bit more but a couple of things I would watch out for: buying a domain name and hosting it with the same provider can cause issues if you ever want to move to a different host so it was recommended to me to buy in one place and host somewhere else.

If you have canva pro and use the images created there on the website you create, you need to check whether you can continue to use any chargeable items (pictures or icons) if you ever let your subscription run out. I know a few business owners who didn’t have canva pro but had copied some communications to their social media and were then contacted about copyright infringement. I don’t think that would be the case if you only used the free stuff but you should check what the licensing arrangements are.

I used Wordpress, installed the Genesis platform and then bought a child theme that worked with Genesis. From that, you can then upload plugins that are pieces of software that do specific things which you configure to do what you need; I had ones for pricing tables, image galleries, security etc. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube or on hosting sites themselves to advise how to upload the domain and the software and create the home page, header or footer menus, sidebars, upload images, include keywords for search engine optimisation (seo) etc. Once you grasp the fundamentals, it’s quite easy to do things yourself.

For transparency, I did pay for 3 hours training on Wordpress 12 years ago but it was worth it. You might find somewhere that offers help to start up businesses or could point you in the right direction for help, but regular Joes can absolutely build their own websites.

Good luck!

That’s all really helpful, thank you @Humdrumdumb . I’ve edited websites in previous jobs so once I’m set up I think I’ll be ok… but I’ve never done the initial set up bit.

I run a business using ecommerce and blogs and have set up websites for charities and course providers and manage information websites for others I don't provide the service as a business I just do it for my business and to keep skills up. First and foremost, what is it that you need a website for? Is it ecommerce, information, blog, showcase, gallery, courses, videos etc? This will inform what software you use.

@Humdrumdumb is right to suggest not having a domain name and website in one package, it's a real brain ache to negotiate when you need to change.

Until you know what kind of website you need, don't look at hosting or domains, they all offer different things.

Depends what your website is for but squarespace is in my opinion the easiest to build with. Most of my clients do their domain and use the platform in one. They won't be changing to another platform so it's easier for them all being in one place.

@MarkingBad thank you for your reply. Sorry I thought I’d said, the website will be to showcase crafts for sale.

In addition to ‘standard’ pages like “about us”, I’d need a gallery and a kind of catalogue to show product detail and prices. Initially, I don’t need e-commerce but it would be good to have the option to add in that functionality later on. I would, however, like it to include a contact form so that customers can submit an enquiry and I can contact them during business hours. I’d like it if the form was quite versatile as I might want to include within the form images, multiple options per question via tickboxes and radio buttons, also page logic (is that the right term? So that the form is split across different pages and the pages they see will depend on the answers given on the previous page).

OK great this sounds to me like you are looking for a scalable website so you can get a showcase going that might in the future be function as a sales venue for your crafts. So now it depends on how much you want to chop and change systems.

For what you want now Squarespace at @bryceQ suggested is quite good as is Wix both are reasonably easy to use and look good. However if you want to consider the possibility of expanding in the future putting in that ecommerce section might be more difficult and addition costs you might not want when starting out, it may be that you will need to change systems and that is something of a pain with redirects to keep the good will you'll have built up on search engines etc.

If you are able to pick up fairly easy software quickly then something like wordpress which @Humdrumdumb suggested might be an option. Again it's easy to use and has an immense amount of free "plugins" for pretty much everything you can think of including ecommerce, surveys (is that what you mean by using page logic?), and forms you can make into most of what you want and as it is a very fluid piece of software you wouldn't need to consider a change when you need to scale up. You can get managed wordpress sites with hosting which are more expensive but this may or may not cover the help you need.

Personally I'd give those 3 a try first to see how you get on, you can get free demos on all of them. There are others out there too if you want to try different ones.

My advice here is that one of the biggest mistakes people make when they go for their own websites, is that it is way too tempting to only consider what you need now. I make a plan for what is currently needed , then what's needed in 1 years time, then in 5 years time. Scalable websites can be expensive when you start paying for those additional pieces of software or that they get bought out or shut down, the software and hosting is lost, and you have to move anyway systems. These are all considerations you will have to make for your new site.

I have a squarespace shop as part of one business, it's very easy. If I wanted a pure ecommerce store I'd do shopify but ss is likely fine for you to get your confidence with. I'd go with that.

If you want to sell direct through your website, try Shopify.

ETA: Oh good, another zombie thread 🙄

What type of website did you want to build, you should say it so people can know which suggestion to give you

Ignore. It's a zombie thread.

ETA: It only got bumped up the other day because some mad "gun building website" came and spammed it from the USA.

If anyone else is discovering this thread (TIL it’s called a zombie thread haha) feel free to drop me a message - I have a small business building websites for other small businesses, particularly for crafters - so if you need any advice, just give me a shout!

If you do want to sell in future I would start with Shopify. They have lots of themes you can customise. SEO fields and everything you need. Very user friendly and totally expandable as and when you need or want to.

zombie thread

Late to the party, but once you’ve got the domain, the next step is choosing where your site will actually live. You can use a simple website builder like Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify if it’s for a business. They handle hosting, templates, and updates. If you want more control, buy hosting and install WordPress. What kind of site are you hoping to make?

After buying your domain, I’d grab simple hosting and install something like WordPress, then pick a clean theme and add just the pages you need. I’ve found it handy to use tools that help me make sense of what visitors actually do, like Transform Data into Smarter Decisions, which keeps my subscription numbers and payments crystal clear so I’m not flying blind as the site grows.

After buying your domain, I’d grab simple hosting and install something like WordPress, then pick a clean theme and add just the pages you need. I’ve found it handy to use tools that help me make sense of what visitors actually do, like Transform Data into Smarter Decisions www.payinsider.com/reporting-analytics, which keeps my subscription numbers and payments crystal clear so I’m not flying blind as the site grows.